The morning was clear and bright.
Sunlight streamed through the gaps in the rolling shutter, illuminating the dim warehouse.
Jason lay sleeping on an old sofa, his face pale, his brow furrowed, a Glock 20 pistol clutched tightly in his hand.
[Ding! The quest [Escape from the Russian Mafia's Pursuit] is complete, rewarding 500 Villain Points. Current progress: 2460 / 2000]
[Ding! Congratulations, Host, for reaching Level 3, gaining 10 Attribute Points. Current progress: 460 / 3000]
Startled awake by the system, Jason abruptly stood up.
Click.
The Glock pistol was instantly cocked.
He aimed the gun for a while, but there was nothing unusual in the warehouse.
False alarm.
Jason sighed in relief and ejected the chambered 10mm round, placing it back into the magazine.
He sat back on the sofa, washed his face and rinsed his mouth with bottled water, then took off his jacket to inspect the wound on his left arm.
Fortunately, the wound wasn't infected.
Sitting back on the sofa, eating bread and drinking water, Jason opened the system interface.
Leveling up to Level 3 granted him ten Attribute Points.
But how should he allocate these Attribute Points?
Jason opened the system store and began to study it carefully.
Skill levels in the store ranged from Level 1 to Level 10, from low to high, with higher levels requiring more points.
Levels 1 to 5 cost 10 to 50 points respectively, which is 100,000 to 500,000 US dollars.
From Level 6 onwards, the points required for each level increased rapidly.
Level 6 requires 100 points, Level 7 requires 300 points, Level 8 requires 500 points, Level 9 requires 800 points, and Level 10 requires 1000 points.
In other words, upgrading a skill from Level 1 to Level 10 would cost a total of 28.5 million US dollars.
Finally, it was important to note the attribute requirements for purchasing skills.
Each skill has different attribute requirements, but they can be roughly divided into primary and secondary attributes.
Take [Gun Mastery] for example; the key to shooting lies in speed.
Quick draw, quick aim, quick shot, taking down the enemy before they can even fire or draw their weapon, the importance of agility is self-evident.
And in such a short period, you need to consider many factors such as weapon performance, target distance, and wind resistance. It's impossible without a quick-reacting and clear-thinking mind.
Therefore, Gun Mastery has higher requirements for Agility and Intelligence, which are the primary attributes.
Strength can reduce the impact of weapon recoil and improve shooting accuracy.
Endurance provides some assistance during long periods of high-intensity shooting.
Both have limited impact on improving shooting ability, so the system has lower requirements for Strength and Endurance, making them secondary attributes.
The attribute requirements for [Melee Combat Mastery] are exactly the opposite, with Strength and Endurance being the primary attributes, and Agility and Intelligence being the secondary attributes.
This is easier to understand.
In real hand-to-hand combat, whoever has greater strength and greater resistance to blows, victory usually belongs to them.
Those fancy boxing techniques and footwork only appear in movies and TV shows.
In actual combat, as long as the distance between the enemy and me is less than one meter, it is almost impossible to dodge the opponent's punches and kicks.
Even if the eyes can keep up with the opponent's movements, the body will not have time to react.
Therefore, the most important thing for Melee Combat Mastery is Strength and Endurance, while Agility and Intelligence only come into play when the two sides are evenly matched.
To be honest, Jason liked close combat, liked the feeling of fist-to-flesh.
He believed that this was the way for men to solve problems, and those who liked to hide in the distance and take potshots were sissies.
However, the ideal is full of dreams, the reality is cruel.
The simplest and most effective killing tool in modern society is always the gun.
For his own safety, Jason decided to temporarily abandon [Melee Combat Mastery] and continue to develop in the direction of [Gun Mastery].
[Gun Mastery Level 6 (Not Acquired)]
[Requirements: 100 points; Strength: 35, Agility: 40, Endurance: 35, Intelligence: 40]
After a moment of thought, Jason decided to first add Strength and Endurance to 35 points, and then add the remaining 3 points to Agility.
[Host: Jason Walter]
[Level: 3 (460 / 3000)]
[Strength 33 → 35]
[Agility 35 → 38]
[Endurance 30 → 35]
[Intelligence 35 → 35]
[Remaining Attribute Points: 0]
[Reputation: 13 → 37]
[Comrades: None (Reputation required for next recruitment: 100)]
[Points: 3]
[Abilities: Melee Combat Mastery (Level 4), Driving Mastery (Level 3), Gun Mastery (Level 5), Cold Weapon Mastery (Level 2)]
[Store: Click Here]
... ...
[Ding! Quest triggered: [Don't Be a Foolish Ghost], Quest Reward: 500 Villain Points.]
[Quest Briefing: The Host's affair with Vanessa was done very discreetly. How did Kingpin find out? Please find the answer and complete the quest.]
The words on the screen made Jason fall into deep thought.
As the system said, he hadn't told anyone about his affair with Vanessa.
They were very careful when they were together. Logically speaking, it should have been a secret. How could Kingpin have found out?
Could it be that someone in the gang noticed something and secretly followed them?
Jason thought it was unlikely.
Because he had a guilty conscience, his counter-reconnaissance awareness was unusually strong during that time. He had to change several taxis to go on a date, and he didn't find any problems during the period.
Besides, he knew everyone in the gang.
As long as they flashed in front of Jason, he could immediately recognize them, so the problem shouldn't be within the gang.
After sitting on the sofa for an hour, Jason couldn't figure out where the problem was.
"I have to go out when it gets dark."
Jason muttered to himself.
"As long as I find him, all the questions will be solved."
... ...
He lay back on the sofa to rest and took out his new phone to read the news.
Such a big thing happened in Midtown Manhattan yesterday, the newspapers and TV stations must be in an uproar.
Logging into CNN's official website, the first picture that caught his eye was a photo of black smoke billowing from the windows of Jason's apartment.
What a pity, such a nice house.
Jason felt a little heartache.
This apartment, including the renovation, cost a total of more than two million US dollars.
Jason had saved for five full years to buy it, but he blew it up himself.
Jason sighed helplessly and clicked on the news to read it carefully.
The news article was smelly and long, with more than ten thousand words and twenty or thirty photos. Jason spent half an hour reading it.
There were only three important pieces of information.
First: The owner of the apartment involved, Jason Walter, is a notorious gangster in Hell's Kitchen. The person's whereabouts are currently unknown. The NYPD suspects that he has been kidnapped or killed.
Therefore, this vicious case that shocked the United States is just a simple gang vendetta, and has nothing to do with a certain overseas base organization. Please rest assured, especially the people of New York.
Second: Through investigation of the personal information of a dozen masked dead, the NYPD has basically identified the murderer in this case as Vladimir and Anatoly brothers, leaders of a Russian gang organization, of which Anatoly has died in the firefight.
Third: On the roof of the apartment building involved, there was a white woman's body who was tortured to death and horribly disfigured. According to DNA comparison results, the NYPD confirmed that the deceased was the owner of a Manhattan art gallery.